The Gilbert City Council held a study session on September 15, 2026, at 5:00 PM (estimated start time based on adjournment around 6:30 PM) with all seven councilmembers present. The agenda included three discussion items: an update on utility billing credits, the adoption of the 2024 building code, and a review of the Gilbert Police Department's automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology, protocols, and governance.
Okay, we've we've got everybody here, it looks like. We're gonna go ahead and get started with the study session. Oh call order the stud Council study session for September fifteenth, twenty twenty-six. Roll call. Mayor Scott Anderson. Here. Vice Mayor Chuck Bongiovanni. Here. Councilmember Bobby Buckley. Here. Councilmember Kenny Bucklin. Here. Councilmember Young Kaprowski. Here. Councilmember Monty Lyons? Here. And Councilmember Jim Torgeson. A quorum is present. Thank you. We have three items. Our first item tonight is update on utility billing credits and resuming normal procedures. Hawken. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. We've had some opportunities to connect on uh what came out of the water meter audit, and tonight I have some updates on the action we are taking and some final numbers that we can share, as well as sharing an update for the resuming normal billing procedures. Uh for two hundred and sixty-four accounts that were due refunds over that six-year audit period for a total impact of just over eighteen thousand dollars on the residential side. Uh, so there will not be any back billing for any errors for under billing over that audit period. And then we've also talked about this before in the timeline for resuming normal billing operations, but here we have now some specific dates and timelines that I'll share. And so again, clear communication is uh utmost importance. Uh, we delayed the late fees and disconnects until the audit was finalized and we could get to the point of issuing these credits as well as getting past the high water use during summer. Notices will go out tomorrow, which starts a forty-five day final grace period. And so September sixteenth is when those letters and emails will go out. Uh, during this forty-five days, we look to work with the accounts uh that have amounts past due and help them find a path to uh get their accounts current. We currently have just over 4200 accounts that are in this group out of again just over 93,000 total accounts. That lands November 1st is the day that late fees and disconnections will resume. And so there is a process that leads up to that. Lots of communication, lots of opportunities to interact and connect and get things down a path to resolution. All of the bills that our account holders receive, we'll show them the amounts passed due. 45 days prior, starting tomorrow, they will get communication that lets them know that that grace period is ending on November 1st, and to contact us and we'll work with them and I'll show you on it on the next slide. If no action is taken 10 days prior to a potential disconnect, they will receive an additional reminder. And then two days prior, again, if no action is taken, another email notice, and then one to two days prior to disconnection, they will get an automated phone message, a phone alert, and then yes, after those things are achieved, we'll have a disconnect if no action is taken. But we are here to help. We continue to be, we have been, uh we want to connect with these people, and that's the intent of the communication. These letters, emails, they all contain this information and more that helps push them to us. We want to work with these customers, help them find flexible payment plans that help them stay current and catch up over an extended period of time and soften that transition back to full uh account and full standing. There are some assistance programs. We will also be providing all of that information to these account holders. It's on the screen, it's in the emails, it's in the letters, uh, it's it's on our website, it's in this QR code. Uh, we are here to help. And what's that? Are there any questions?